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Denny Hamlin reveals if he'll step in as 23XI owner, talk to Bubba Wallace after Alex Bowman incident

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•07/07/25•

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Bubba Wallace (23)
Jul 5, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) during qualifying for the Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Race. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts on Bubba Wallace‘s incident with Alex Bowman at the Chicago Street Race on Sunday. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin was asked if he would step in and talk to Wallace since he’s the co-owner of Wallace’s team, 23XI Racing.

“No, I think Bubba understands it,” Denny Hamlin said. “I think that’s why you saw him have the reaction that he did. I think that’s why he made the comments that he did. It seemed as though he took responsibility for it, and that he wasn’t clear when he tried to clear himself. I think he handled it fine.”

Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman battled for seventh place during the final laps at Chicago. As they were battling, Wallace was spun out by Bowman, and he ended the race with a P28 finish. Bowman finished eighth and defeated Wallace in the second round of NASCAR’s In-Season tournament.

More on Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman

It was a tough end for Wallace, who battled his way to the top 10 throughout the race. Wallace is still in the playoff picture but is now just two points above the cut line, meaning he needs to have strong finishes or win one of the final seven races of the regular season.

While there might not be any animosity between Wallace and Bowman, NASCAR will take a closer look at the incident. “NASCAR will be taking a closer look at Bowman versus Bubba,” NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck revealed, via the latest episode of The Teardown. “Yes, they will. That was what I was told. At first, I was like, ‘Oh, Bowman just dumped him.’ It looked like Bowman might’ve right-reared him. Then, on another replay I saw, it was like, ‘Oh, maybe Bubba cleared himself across.’

“Bowman said he thought that he was being pinballed between the wall and Bubba, and that’s what happened. He, of course — you have to say this, I guess, either way. He said he didn’t right-rear him on purpose. So, yeah — I don’t know about that.”

On3’s Steve Samra contributed to this story.